I more or less agree with you on the analysis of the rhetorical differences between the plans, but I come to the opposite conclusion. Coercion is good! The one good thing about mandatory insurance is that it at least raises the vague possibility of the government actually intervening coercively to ensure health care for all. Single-payer, after all, basically means coercing everyone to buy the government's health insurance. Obama's opposition to mandates (because he's all about choice, not coercion), is an example of how he is positioning himself to Hillary Clinton's right. --
"Why must man's vocation always be to distinguish
himself from animals?" http://blog.voyou.org/ -- Baudrillard